Bamberg—Day One

12 members left a cold dark Parkstone at 4am wondering if the decision to visit the town of Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Franconia south west Germany seemed a bit crazy. We soon arrived at London Heathrow; it is amazing how quick the journey by minibus is when there is no traffic. Baggage check in well that's another story how many bags did we have? But eventually we were on the plane and flying to Frankfurt and enjoying the in flight food! On arrival at Frankfurt it was only a walk to the airport station a brand new building with a chance for the first beer of the day.

The next leg of the journey was by inter city train to Wurzburg a quick change onto a hot local train and we were on the final leg to Bamberg; Parkstone to Bamberg in 8 hours. On arrival the sky was blue and we could not wait to sample the highly rated beer and food, as most of the people were staying in the Brauerei Fassla we decide to meet there. After a cooling and refreshing shower we are soon crossing the river Regnitz for the short stroll to our meeting point. The impressive large door lead to a covered courtyard (Schwemm) with a mural depicting old Bamberg the bar is on the right with beer obtained via a serving hatch. Indoor or outdoor seated areas are available and the brewery entrance is at the far end of the courtyard.

Beers served directly from wooden barrels are Golden Pils clean dry with hoppy flavour and Lagerbier, additional beers namely Weizen (wheat) and Zwergla are served from the bottle. We find a large table in the outdoor part of the courtyard and the beers begin to flow. A variety of food is ordered mostly sausage based and what was in those dumplings? The beer was excellent and we soon realized why we had made the long journey.
Deciding to move on the we cross the road to the Braurei Spezial and a chance to sample our first smoked beer (Rauchbeer) a style of beer unique to Bamberg. The Spezial has a large tap room with long wooden tables. The service is swift and we are soon enjoying our first smoked beer the beer is certainly different with a aroma of smoky bacon crisps although the flavour is smooth and malty.

The verdict on the beer is mixed so we decide to take a stroll and a breath of fresh air we head for the Bamberger Weissbierhaus only 100 yards down the road.
This is the town centre tap room of the Brauerei Maisel. The brewery is situated on the edge of the town and Bamberg's largest, the Weissbierhaus has two of the breweries beers on draught Pils and Dunkel Premium. The compact bar with long pine tables, a stone floor and panelled walls is only part of a larger building housing a hotel, beer garden and skittle alley.
Finally we stop off for a last beer on the way to our hotel the long day is catching up with some of us so only a hardy few stay for a second beer it has been a long day but our first impression is we have a wonderful 3 days to come.